Early turnovers again doom Red Knights in loss to Falcons
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Matt Hagy — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
In just three plays Reading High found itself trailing in its Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 contest against Cedar Crest, and ultimately the tone was set for the rest of the night.
| Final | |
| Cedar Crest | 42 |
| Reading | 6 |
Behind a balanced offensive attack, the Falcons rolled past the Red Knights 42-6 Friday night at Shirk Stadium.
“We made it too easy for them,” Reading coach Troy Godinet said. “Gave up two touchdowns off turnovers, self-inflicted penalties, and tackles not being finished in the backfield.”
Cedar Crest (2-1, 3-3) quarterback Steven Reyes scored on that third play of the game after rushing up the middle untouched for a 67-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 just 54 seconds into the first quarter.
Reyes showed his arm talent on the ensuing drive as he connected with wide receiver Kai Speaks, a converted quarterback, for a 34-yard touchdown pass to make it a 14-0 lead at the 7:17 mark of the quarter.
“The thing about Steven is he is level-headed,” Cedar Crest coach Nick Lambros said. “Nothing rattles him, and he is very smooth. He takes the good and he is good with it and when things get tough he figures it out.”
Isaiah Zimmerman ripped through the Red Knights defense for a 57-yard touchdown run on the third play of the Falcons next drive that made it 21-0 with 4:04 left in the first quarter.
Things only got worse for the Red Knights (0-3, 0-6) as quarterback Jason Plylaharn’s fumble in the end zone was recovered by the Falcons’ Damyen Derr for a touchdown to extend the lead to 28-0.
Zimmerman added another touchdown on the Falcons first drive of the second quarter with a 30-yard run to make it 35-0. The Falcons added one final touchdown with 1:29 left in the first half when Reyes found Antonio Tirado wide open over the middle for a 46-yard touchdown pass.
Red Knights running back Zimeli Boston ended the Falcons shutout bid on the final play of the game with a 1-yard touchdown run.
“Our guys came out tonight and continue to play for each other,” Godinet said. “They continue to rally around each other, there was no finger-pointing, and they took ownership of everything. I am excited for the future of these young men.”
The Falcons held a 391-158 total yards advantage for the game with 225 coming on the ground.
Zimmerman rushed for 143 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns while Reyes passed for 162 yards on 8-of-9 completions.
Boston led the Red Knights with 74 rushing yards on 18 carries with the lone Reading touchdown of the night.
The Red Knights face long-standing rival McCaskey next Friday at Lancaster Catholic High School. Reading defeated the Red Tornado 38-14 last season.
“We have to focus on us,” Godinet said. “McCaskey has to deal with the same things we deal with, and I am always excited to have the opportunity to play them. It means something to me, our coaching staff, and our players. I just want our team to be the best version of themselves.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Cedar Crest | 28 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| Reading | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Cedar Crest | Reyes, 67 run (Kaighn Kick) | 11:06 |
| 1 | Cedar Crest | Speaks, 34 pass from Reyes (Kaighn Kick) | 7:17 |
| 1 | Cedar Crest | Zimmerman, 57 run (Kaighn Kick) | 4:04 |
| 1 | Cedar Crest | Derr, 0 fumble recovery (Kaighn Kick) | 0:33 |
| 2 | Cedar Crest | Zimmerman, 30 run (Kaighn Kick) | 11:07 |
| 2 | Cedar Crest | A. Tirado, 46 pass from Reyes (Kaighn Kick) | 1:29 |
| 4 | Reading High | Boston, 1 run (Kick not attempted) | 0:04 |
Team statistics
| CEDAR CREST | READING | |
| First downs | 14 | 7 |
| Rushes-yards | 25-225 | 30-107 |
| Passing yards | 166 | 51 |
| Total yards | 391 | 158 |
| Passes | 10-15-1 | 4-14-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| Punts-average | 2-45.5 | 6-31.3 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-60 | 9-62 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Cedar Crest: Zimmerman 12-143, Reyes 5-38, Beard 4-29, Nunez 3-12, Carroll 1-3
Reading: Boston 18-74, Bradley 3-21, Lias 5-18, Weaver 1-3, Plylaharn 3-(-9)
PASSING
Cedar Crest: Reyes 8-9-0–162, Hansell 1-3-1–2, Danz 1-3-0–2
Reading: Lias 2-7-0–17, Plylaharn 2-7-1–34
RECEIVING
Cedar Crest: Speaks 2-45, Zimmerman 2-31, Setcavage 2-29, A. Tirado 1-46, C. Tirado 1-11, Smith 1-2, Will 1-2
Reading: Jacob 2-17, Weaver 1-30, Bradley 1-4
INTERCEPTIONS
Cedar Crest: Smith
Reading: Weaver
